Follower-clamp for document-files.



No. 672,530. Patented Apr. 23, I90l.

u. E. HUNTER.

FOLLOWER CLAMP FOR DOCUMENT FILES.

(Application Q led July 19, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT 1 FFICE.

DAVID E. HUNTER, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LIBRARY BUREAU, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FOLLOWER-GLAMP FOR DOCUMENT-FILES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 672,530, dated April 23, 1901.

' Application filed July 19, 1900. Serial No. 24,125. (No model.)

To ctZZ whm n it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID E. HUNTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cambridge, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Follower-Clamps for Document-Files, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

A common kind of document-file consists of a front, bottom, and retaining sides, between which is a follower board or upright for clamping the papers or records between it and the front, and this follower is usually clamped in position by means of a more or less complicated contrivance secured thereto at its base and movable in a track provided along or in the bottom of the file.

My present invention relates to an improved kind of clamp which operates on the side bars or rack which constitutes the retaining sides of the file; and in general terms my invention comprises a device arranged to slide along the sides of the file and provided with a wedging device or notched lever, mounted in such relation to a fixed portion of the file as to bite or wedge against the same in fixed position.

The structural details of my invention and various advantages thereof will be pointed out more particularly in the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, and the latter will be again defined in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a file provided with my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are fragmentary views showing the clamping mechanism in top plan, the former figure showing the same in locked position and the latter in unlocked position.

The file proper comprises afront a, having a suitable handle a, bottom I), and rack or side frame 0, which may be of any usual or preferred kind suitable for the purpose. Between the sides of the file is a board or other back support d for the cards or documents f, which it is desired to retain in the file.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the clamping mechanism comprises a bridge or slide 6, having guides e, preferably located at its four corners and arranged to rest upon and grasp the rails a, which constitute one form of guideways or convenient supports therefor. The slide a has an opening e in which is loosely mounted a lever or arm e loosely retained by a T-shaped head a, which rests on the edge of said slot, while the free end of said lever has a recess or opening, shown in the form of a jaw 9 Whose shoulders grasp or clutch the under side of the adjacent rail 0, while at the opposite end of the slide or plate 6 is a lug e, which engages the under side of the opposite rail. The lever e rests upon a projection e of the slide 6 and has a handle 6 with a depending lip or pull (2", and in its preferred form the pivotal point e is located approximately midway of the width of the handle, so as to act as a fulcrum-point as the latter is pressed on one side or the other, as illustrated in the drawings. The slide or plate e also has preferably a slot 6 in which rests loosely an eye d, secured at d to the back of the follower or back support d. It will be readily seen that this construction is exceedingly inexpensive, as it comprises in its essentials simply two pieces, which may be struck up from sheet metal, if desired, without requiring any machining, riveting, or special finishing. The lever e is simply put up from the bottom of the plate e through the slot 6 and turned into the posit-ion shown over the projection e whereupon the T-head 6 holds it in secure position and yet permits the requisite pivotal movement for the propre working of the clamp.

In operation if it is desired to move the follower-board at back, so as to inspect or remove any of the tiles, the operator simply grasps the same with the finger and thumb in the position shown in Fig. 3 and pulls backwardly, first compressing the thumb forward, if required, in the position shown in Fig. 3, so as to move the lever a out of biting engagement with the rail 0, but, if the files are not already clamped tightly, releasing said lever simply by pushing back on the slide e, whereupon a straight pull with the finger behind the lip or pull 2 causes the clamping device to slide freely along the rails. Having attended to the papers as desired, the clamp is shoved forward as far as required and then the thumb is simply shifted to the left, as shown in Fig. 2, thereby pushing the lever a into biting engagement, so that its jaw e wedges against the bar 0, being held in said position not only by the frictional biting pressure, but by the resistance of the files f, which cause a backward pressure against the slide 6, thereby tending to push the fulcrum-point e of the lever rearwardly, and hence maintain the parts in locked position.

I am aware that many changes may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a file,'clamping mechanism comprising a slide, guides therefor, and a lever fulcrumed on said slide and having a portion thereof embracing a stationary part of the file and another portion thereof constituting a handle for turning the lever on said fulcrum into or out of. biting engagementwith said stationary part, said handle projecting at opposite sides of said fulcrum whereby a pressure on one corner of said handle tends to move the lever in one direction and a pressure on the opposite corner thereof tends to move the leverin an opposite direction.

2. In a file, clamping mechanism comprisinga slide, guides therefor, and a lever mounted on said slide and having its free end provided with opposite shoulders arranged to loosely embrace one edge of a fixed portion of the file when in one position and to clutch said edge when in another position for locking the file.

3. In a file, clamping mechanism comprising a slide, guides therefor, and a lever fnlcrumed on said slide, a portion of said lever having shoulders embracing a stationary part of the file and another portion of the said lever constituting a handle for turning said lever on said fulcrum to bring said shoulders into or out of biting engagement with said stationary part.

4. In a file having opposite side rails, a plate provided at its ends with guides engaging said rails, an angular lever pivoted on said plate, said lever having one of its ends next to one of said side rails provided with a jaw whose shoulders embrace the edge of said railland are in parallelism therewith to slide loosely along the rail when the lever is in one position, said shoulders being turned out of parallelism to said rail thereby clutching the edge thereof when the lever is turned angnlarly to the rail, the end of the lever away from said rail constituting a handle for turning the lever into or out of parallelism with said rail.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID E. HUNTER,

Witnesses:

GEO. H. MAXWELL, GEO. W. GREGORY. 

